Yarn is NOT a Cat Toy

Today I have learned a very valuable lesson that I would like to share with all my friends in the crochet world: Yarn is NOT a cat toy. Allow me to explain.

There I was, keeping The Animator’s Wife company as I usually do while she was working on a crochet baby blanket. The stitch pattern she was using was repetitive and soothing, and I quickly found myself mesmerized by the yarn as it flowed through her skilled fingers. I simply had to feel it flow through my own paws, and before I knew it, I had become quite literally wrapped up in her work. My back feet were caught up in the yarn and tied together--I couldn’t move my hind legs! With the help of The Animator’s Wife, I attempted to detangle myself, but the yarn grew tighter and tighter until finally, in a panic, I fled.

Depending on my free front legs to save me from the tangled yarn, I tore past The Dog We Don’t Like to Mention...

...dove through the legs of the dining room table...

...and zipped through the hallway past Osiris and into the bedroom.

I dragged both the yarn and the baby blanket behind me the whole way, until my hind feet finally came free as I lunged beneath the bed.

Did I overreact? Perhaps. Could The Animator’s Wife have freed me if I had remained calm? Most likely. But the thought of losing my hind feet to strangulation was so terrifying I couldn’t think of anything but getting away.

After hiding myself safely under the bed, I realized the situation could have been much worse. The yarn could have tightened around my chest or throat and choked me. I was actually fairly lucky. And that is not the only way yarn can harm an innocent kitty. The Dog We Don’t Like to Mention, who goes with The Animator’s Wife every day to her day job at an emergency veterinary hospital, tells me horror stories of kitties that have eaten yarn. Either it doesn’t pass through their digestive system or it becomes entangled in their intestines, and has to be surgically removed!

So I think it’s important for all crocheters to know how to keep their kitties safe around their craft. Here are my tips on how to do so:

- Never let Kitty play with yarn unsupervised, and especially don’t let her eat it.

- Never leave yarn lying around where Kitty can get into it while home alone.

- If you like to crochet toys or other things for your kitty, make sure all loose ends are woven in and well secured.

- If you know your kitty has an affinity for eating yarn and string, crocheted gifts may not be the best things for her.

- If your kitty starts vomiting or stops eating and you suspect she has eaten some yarn, get her to the vet right away!

- If you notice yarn protruding from your kitty’s rectum, don’t pull it! You can cause internal damage. Again, get her to the vet right away.